Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina. Buenos Aires is located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent. Greater Buenos Aires is the third largest conurbation in Latin America, with a population of about 13 million.

After the internal conflicts of the 19th century, Buenos Aires was federalised and removed from Buenos Aires Province in 1880; its city limits were enlarged to include the former towns of Belgrano and Flores; both are now neighbourhoods in the city.
Buenos Aires was originally named after the sanctuary of "Nostra Signora di Bonaria" (Italian for "Our Lady of Fair Winds", also known as "Virgine de Bonaria") located in Cagliari, Sardinia. In the 1994 constitution, the city was given autonomy, hence its formal name: Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires.
People from Buenos Aires are called porteños (people of the port).

Strongly influenced by European culture, Buenos Aires is sometimes referred to as the "Paris of South America".
Buenos Aires is the site of the Teatro Colón, one of the world's greatest opera houses. It is closed for renovations until at least 2010. There are several symphony orchestras and choral societies. The city has numerous museums related to history, fine arts, modern arts, decorative arts, popular arts, sacred art, arts and crafts, theatre and popular music, as well as the preserved homes of noted art collectors, writers, composers and artists. It has many public libraries and cultural associations as well as the largest concentration of active theatres in Latin America[citation needed]. It has a world-famous zoo and Botanical Garden, a large number of landscaped parks and squares, as well as churches and places of worship of many denominations, many of which are architecturally noteworthy.

Buenos Aires architecture is characterized by its individuality and uniqueness, with elements resembling Barcelona, Paris and Rome.
Italian and French influences increased after the declaration of independence at the beginning of the 19th century, though the academic style persisted until the first decades of the 20th century.
Attempts at renovation took place during the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, when European influences penetrated into the country, reflected by several buildings of Buenos Aires such as the Iglesia Santa Felicitam by Ernesto Bunge; the Palace of Justice, the National Congress, and the Teatro Colón, all of them by Vittorio Meano.
The simplicity of the Rioplatense baroque style can be clearly seen in Buenos Aires through the works of Italian architects such as André Blanqui and Antonio Masella, in the churches of San Ignacio, Nuestra Señora del Pilar, the Cathedral and the Cabildo.
The architecture of the second half of the 20th century continued to reproduce French neoclassic models, such as the headquarters of the Banco Nacional de Buenos Aires built by Alejandro Bustillo, and the Museo Hispanoamericano de Buenos Aires|Museo Hispanoamericano of Martín Noel. However, since the 1930s the influence of Le Corbusier and European rationalism consolidated in a group of young architects from the University of Tucumán, among whom Amancio Williams stands out. The construction of skyscrapers proliferated in Buenos Aires until the 1950s. Newer modern high-technology buildings by Argentine architects in the last years of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st include the Le Parc Tower by Mario Álvarez and the Torre Fortabat by Sánchez Elía.

Tango music was born in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, notably in the brothels of the Junín y Lavalle district and in the arrabales (poorer suburbs). Its sensual dance moves were not seen as respectable until adopted by the Parisian high society in the 1920s, and then all over the world. In Buenos Aires, tango-dancing schools (known as academias) were usually men-only establishments.
Tango consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras of Argentina and Uruguay as well as in other locations around the world. The dance developed in response to many cultural elements, such as the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in clothing. The styles are mostly danced in either open embrace, where lead and follow connect at arms length, or close embrace, where the lead and follow connect chest-to-chest.
Early tango was known as tango criollo, or simply tango. Today, there are many tango dance styles, including Argentine Tango, Uruguayan Tango, Ballroom tango (American and International styles), Finnish tango and vintage tangos.

The cinema first appeared in Buenos Aires in 1896. The city has been the centre of the Argentine cinema industry in Argentina for over 100 years since French camera operator Eugene Py directed the pioneering film La Bandera Argentina in 1897. Since then, over 2000 films have been directed and produced within the city, many of them referring to the city in their titles, such as Buenos Aires Plateada, and Buenos Aires a la vista. The culture of tango music has been incorporated into many films produced in the city, especially since the 1930s. Many films have starred tango performers such as Hugo del Carril, Tita Merello, Carlos Gardel and Edmundo Rivero.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, tourism has been growing in the Argentine capital since 2002. In a survey by the travel and tourism publication Travel + Leisure Magazine, travelers voted Buenos Aires the second most desirable city to visit after Florence, Italy.
The city offers a variety of cultural activities. Visitors may choose to visit a tango show, an estancia in the Province of Buenos Aires, or enjoy the traditional asado. New tourist circuits have recently evolved, devoted to famous Argentines such as Carlos Gardel, Eva Perón or Jorge Luis Borges. Due to the favourable exchange rate, its shopping centres such as Alto Palermo, Paseo Alcorta, Patio Bullrich, Abasto de Buenos Aires and Galerías Pacífico are frequently visited by tourists.
San Telmo is a frequently visited area south of city, with its cobblestoned streets and buildings from the colonial era that attest to its long history. There are churches, museums, antique shops and "Antique Fairs" ('Ferias de Antigüedades') in historic Dorrego Square, where the streets on weekends are filled with performers such as tango dancers. The city also plays host to musical festivals, the largest of which is Quilmes Rock.

Landmarks:

The Obelisk (Is one of the main icons of the city, and a venue for various cultural activities and other events).
Casa Rosada (Is the official seat of the executive branch of the government of Argentina).
Avenida Corrientes (Is one of the principal thoroughfares of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. The street is intimately tied to the Tango and Porteño culture).
Cabildo (Is the public building in Buenos Aires that was used as the government house during the colonial times).
Florida Street (Is an elegant street at Buenos Aires city centre).
Nueve de Julio Avenue (Its name honors Argentina's Independence Day. It was the widest avenue in the world).
Metropolitan Cathedral (It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires).
Teatro Colón (Opened in 1908 it is one of the world's major opera houses).
Plaza de Mayo (Is the main square in Buenos Aires, site of many protests and historical events).
San Telmo (Is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Buenos Aires and also one of the best preserved areas and is characterized with a number of european style buildings).
Avenida de Mayo ( It was inspired by Madrid's Gran Vía. The avenue is often compared with those of Madrid, Barcelona and Paris due of its sophisticated buildings of art Nouveau, neoclassic and eclectic styles).
National Library (is the largest library in Argentina and one of the most important in the Americas).
La Boca (It retains a strong European flavour, with many of its early european settlers being from Italy and Spain).
Cementerio de la Recoleta (The Cemetery includes graves of some of the most influential and important persons of Argentina, including several presidents, scientists, and wealthy characters).
National Congress (Argentine Parlament).